A British tourist was left “scarred for life” with horrific facial injuries after a speeding car crashed into her quad bike during a holiday in Greece.
Holly Thomas, 21, from Pontypool, south Wales, had flown to the Greek island of Zakynthos from Bristol Airport on June 5 with her family, which has now issued an urgent safety warning following the trip.” traumatic”.
The group of four had arrived at their all-inclusive hotel on the island paradise to spend a week in the sun before renting two quad bikes for €125 through a third-party company so they could explore the island.
But on her return trip from the Blue Caves on the third day of her holiday, Holly claims a car traveling at 50mph crashed into the back of her quad bike, sending her flying through the air before landing on her face.
Recalling the horror incident, Holly said: “I literally watched the car crash into us and then closed my eyes as I went airborne.
Holly Thomas, 21, from Pontypool, south Wales, had rented a quad bike with her family during a holiday in Zakynthos, Greece.
After the horrific blow, Holly was left with serious cuts and bruises on her face which her mother says will leave her “permanently scarred”.
Holly claims a speeding car crashed into her quad at 50mph, sending her flying through the air and landing on her face.
“The first thing I felt was a scratch on my face. At first I didn’t feel any pain because I think I was in too much shock.
‘I know it seems morbid but when I was on the ground after scraping my face, I was waiting for a car to hit me. I thought it was the end of my life.’
Distressing images following the incident show Holly’s face covered in cuts and bruises, and a large “puddle of blood” was visible on the back of her right leg from the impact of the accident.
After the blow, the injured tourist was rushed to the hospital, where she underwent a brain scan and her head was stitched.
This left her trip in ruins, as she was forced to spend the rest of her holiday in her hotel room recovering, before returning to the UK on June 12.
Holly is now recovering at home, but doctors informed her that some of her injuries could take months to heal.
‘I’m not sleeping well. It keeps playing over and over in my head. It’s more of a shock than anything else and it will affect me later,” she said.
Holly revealed that this was her first time riding a quad bike and following the devastating accident she will never ride one again.
Her mother, Alison Wilson, also issued a warning to other British tourists, advising them to “please think twice before renting a quad” abroad and to make sure they wear a helmet if they do so, claiming that Holly will be left with permanent scars from his wounds.
Pictured: The €125 quad bike Holly had been riding to explore the island before the horror accident happened on the third day of her holiday.
Images of Holly’s injuries show a ‘pool of blood’ on the back of her right leg caused by the impact of the crash.
Holly’s mother Alison Wilson, 52, pictured left, has issued a warning to British tourists, urging them to wear helmets while riding quad bikes.
Doctors have informed Holly that her injuries could take months to heal.
Alison was riding another quad bike with her daughter’s father, David Thomas, 53, behind and says she saw the accident happen.
The heartbroken mother said: “A car overtook us and they were going really fast so it made me quite nervous anyway.”
“They then overtook Holly but then there was oncoming traffic on the other side of the road and they realized they couldn’t make it so they reversed and hit Holly’s quad.
‘Holly’s quad went completely off the road. At first I panicked and then ran towards her.
“Holly will be 100 percent scarred where she sustained the injury to her head and body.”
Alison stressed the importance of the helmets and said they saved her daughter’s life, but revealed she now regrets renting the quads in the first place.
‘I wish we had never rented the quads after what happened. I didn’t feel safe anyway,” she said.
‘I feel like they give them to anyone, as long as they have a license.
‘They don’t have health and safety like we have here. It’s too easy to get one. More checks need to be carried out before one can be hired.
‘They don’t drive on the roads the same way we do in the UK and it’s quite fast there. It’s completely different.’
